HONG KONG, Aug 10 (Reuters) - A week after China's two
largest taxi-hailing firms announced plans for a $35 billion
merger, lawyers say China's merger control watchdog is cracking
down on companies that don't seek approval for deals, and it
wants greater powers to punish them.

Last Tuesday the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) antimonopoly
bureau took the unusual step of revealing that taxi operator
Didi Chuxing had not yet sought clearance to buy rival Uber
China's assets but would need to if the deal met its thresholds
- which was widely interpreted more as an order than a
statement.

It is not yet clear if the deal breaches MOFCOM's
thresholds or if a clearance application has been filed.
Continued...